An Analysis of Vertical Lift Platforms in Support of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Operations

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to examine how the capabilities of the various vertical lift platforms, coupled with their unit cost, can be modeled and optimized to inform future decisions when tasking theater assets to assist in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) operations. A multi-criteria analysis was used to compare alternatives across key performance measures, such as search and rescue (SAR) capability, load capacity, range determination, and crew performance limitations. Additionally, we gave operational commanders a realistic assessment of daily capacity and cost, as well as the limitations thereof, through Monte Carlo risk simulation. Results from our models provided both an optimal vertical lift aircraft mix and scalable results in terms of daily pounds of goods delivered.